System of automatic stoppage of railway-trains.



Patented Apr. I7, |9001.

L. RoussEAu. svsma oF AuToMATIc sToPPAGE oF nmLwAv Tmuus.

(Application filed Nov. 7, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

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Nieren Sra'rns FFICE..

LOUIS ROUSSEAU, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,611, dated April 17, 1900.

4 Application filed November v7, 1899. Serial No. 736,179. (No model.)

Be itknown that I, LOUIS ROUSSEAU, manu facturer, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 56 Rue St. Sabin, Paris, France, have invented a certain new and useful System of Automatic Stoppage of Railway-Trains, PreventingB umpin gs and Collisions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has forits object a mechair ical system working automatically by the passage of a train and causing to rise in front and behind this train at a convenient distance some studs, which actuate the brakes of the trains going too near the first in front or behind on the same rails, these latter trains causing the stoppage of the iirst train by the same mechanism. This system can be used for any trains, whatever the kind of brake fitted up may be. l

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis an elevation of the hind part of an engine fitted up with this system for stoppage of trains when the carriages of the train have the Westinghouse brakes or others of a similar kind. Fig. 2 is a View like Fig. l, but for trains fitted up with a system of brakes with cables. Fig. 3 is a view showing in plan details of the latter brake apparatus. Fig. 4. is a view showing in plan a portion of the road fitted up according to the invention. Fig. 5 is a general diagram of the system.

At equal distances along both rails oi' the line pedals a a are located by groups of two 'facing each other, resting on springs a n and normally being at the saine level as the corresponding rails. On each pedal is mounted a bent lever b, connected by a cable b' to another lever c, fixed on the axis of a stud c', which a spring c2 always tends to keep up. The pedal a on the left side actuates a stud c placed in the front, and 'the pedal on the right side actuates a stud c placed in the 'hind part.

In the case of a train fitted up with the Vestinghouse air-brake the engine carries a lever d, which when moved on its pivot operates the valve or tap e in the brake-pipe of the train. The lever and the valve constitute means on the train for Operating the brake when the lever coperates with a stud c.

In the case ot a train fitted up with brakes with cables each carriage carries a lever f in front and behind, and on each lever is mountl ed a pulley f', on which one of the two cables of the brake is wound. These cables are wound on drums mounted on the axles of the carriages in such a way that when they are tightened they press the shoes of the brakes against the wheels. Said lever, together with the pulleys f and brake-cables, forms means on the train for operating its brakes.

Then a train reaches a pedal a, the flanges of the wheels lower this pedal by compressing the springs a and oscillate the angle-lever l), which is connected to the pedal at b" and pivo'ted at 5. The cable b' connected to this lever slackeus, and the spring c2 of the stud c connected with the said pedal raises this stud c', which is located at a certain distancesay five hundred meters-in the rear of the train. The pedal a which is facing the other raises in the same way a stud c at the same distance in front of the train. If now a train comes behind the first and at a greater speed, there is a risk of a collision. It will be the same also if the first train should break down on the line.

In the case of a train fitted up with the tVestinghouse brake the lever (Z comes in contact with the stud c which is up, and, striking against it, it oscillates and opens the tap e. The piping of the brake is thus opened, and all the brakes of the carriages of the train coming behind the iirstact immediately and cause the stoppage of this second train and so avoid a bumping.

In the case of a single line and even in the case of ordinary lines it is necessary to stop the trains going against each other on the same line. This result is also obtained by the system which is the object of this invention, as at the same time that 'a stud c goes up behind a train going along or disabled on the line another stud c/ also goes up in front of this train, so that if another train comes toward it the studs which are up in front will actuate the brakes and stop this train; but we must observe that this second train will also actuate studs in front of it and which will bring about the working of the brakes of the first train, if this latter is going. Consequently if two trains go toward each other they will be automatically stopped by pass ing over the pedals a a.

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- In the case of a Westinghouse brake the lever el is brought back to its normal position after striking the stud c' by a spring d, and the engine-driver can shut the tap e and release the brakes to continue his journey. In the case of brakes with cables it is necessary that the lever f located on the hind part of the carriage and which by going over the stud c causes one of the cables of the brake to tighten up should remain in the oblique position given to it after the said leverfhas got over the stud c as otherwise the tension of the cable would cease immediately and the brake of each carriage would be acting only during the short time that the lever f was going over the stud c', which would notbe sufficient. tov cause the stoppage of the train. To keepv the lever initsv oblique position, this latter is` so adjusted as to move along another lever g with av knob g. The lever f goes over this knob, and then the lever g is pushed by a spring g2, so that the knob comes in such a position that it will not allow the 1 lever f to go back to its original position., and the cables of the brakes of all the carriages are thus kept tightened and the train stops.

To slacken the cables, the guard of the train will have to push down all the levers g by compressing the springs g2, so that they will allowthelevers f f to go back to their vertical position; but the engine-driver can also` release these leversl by a mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This mechanism,v consists of a hand-wheel 71.,A mounted on a vertical spindle and carrying at its` lower end a bevel-wheel h', gearing with another bevelwheel h2. hvconnected by a universal or Cardan joint h4 toa shaft h5. One of the lianges of the universal joint is rigidly connected with` a socket h, inside which can slide without turning the shaft h5, which is also connected, by means of a universal jointh?, to a shaft its, placed under the framework of thel first carriage. This shaft is also connected, by means of a universal joint, to another shaft ha, placed under the second carriage, and so on up to the last carriage of the train. On each shaft h8 and at each end are mounted drums hg and IL10, on which are wound cables attached to the levers g, so that when the engine-driver turns his hand-wheel he. causes all the shafts hs toturn, and the cables by winding on the drumsh9 or hm cause the levers g to osciilate and. release the levers f.

It will be noted that when the trainv is going forward it is` the levers f placed on the hind part of the carriages which actuate the brakes, Whereas the leyers. f placed in the front oscillate when passi-ng over the studs c', but produce no effect. proceed in the reverse way, it would be these latter levers f which would actuate the brakes, and the others would have no-effect.

It is obvious that the levers f and f of the front and the hind part of eaclrcarriage are not placed in the same vertical. plane. One

thesame distances as the pedals ct a.

Should the carriages` at the back of a train going over pedals a` rise and incline oppositely to studs c which rise in advance of the train and are arranged to operate the brakes according to the direction of movement of the trains.

Ity will be observed that the levers b, worked by the pedals a, do notact by traction on the cables b when a train is going over. On the y contrary, they slacken these cables, so that the springs c2 should cause the corresponding l studs c to rise. i effect which might break the cables, as would In this way there is no abrupt be the case if the levers b acted by traction on the cables to cause the studs to rise.

After the passage of the train the springs a :bring up the pedals at, and it is then that the "levers b operate the cables h/ with a traction powerful enough to compress the springs c2 and bring down the studs c'. j necessary that the springs a a should be more powerful than the springs c2.

It is therefore These latter must, however, be strong enough not to give i way when the levers d or fgo-over them. The V pedals a must. be long enough so that at least ltwo of the consecutive wheels of a carriage .should always cover them, so to avoid` that these pedals should go down on one side only iat the same time.

This latter is mounted on a shaft If two trains are going in the same direction on thesame line and at different speeds and 1 if the train'in front should go at a slower speed ithan the train behind, it will happen that l when the trains are still atacertain distance from each other the train in front will bring up behind it studsl c; but these studs will still be too far away from the second train and will ,produce no effect on-it; but as the pedals are lso placed that when a trainleaves one it immediately finds another one in front at one f time or the other the second trainis bound to fmeet studs c whichv are up and will stop it when it is ata eert-'ain distance from the first train, since the studs c have between them This applies equally well to two trains going in opposite directions on the same line.

It is therefore shown that with this system collisions between trains and bumpings are practically impossible, as explained above.

l. The combination, in apparatus for automatically stopping railway-trains, of .two series of pedals ot at regular intervals along the ra-ilsand facing each other, springs nor-V mally supportingsaid pedals and adapted to return them after they have been depressed, levers b connected to pedals a and pivoted, cables b extending from levers b,- two series of levers c to-whieh said cables are connected IOO IIO

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'and having studs or arms c', springs adapted to raise studs c' when the cables are operated by depression of their pedals into position to be struck by a brake-operating arm on a passing train, pedals a of one series being con nected ahead to levers cof the corresponding series, and the pedals a of the other series being connected to the rear to levers c of their corresponding series.

2. The combination, in apparatus for antomatically stopping railway-trains, of tWo series of pedals ct at regular intervals along the rails and facing each other, springs normally supporting said pedals and adapted to return them after they have been depressed, levers b connected to pedals a, and pivoted, cables b extending from levers b, two series of levers c to which said cables are connected and having studs or arms c', springs adapted to raise studs c when the cables are operated by depression of their pedals into position to be struck by a brake-operating arm on a passing train, pedals a of one series being connected ahead to levers c of the correspondin g series, and the pedals ce of the other series being connected to the rear to levers c of their corresponding series, brake-operating means on a car, and a depending brake-operating lever adapted to be operated by studs c' of one series when the studs are raised.

3. The combination, in apparatus for automatically stopping railway-trains, of a line of rails, spring-supported pedals a at intervals along the rails, brake-operating studs or levers also at intervals along the rails, levers operated by depression ofthe pedals, cables connecting said levers forward or to the rear to a brake-operating stud.

4. The combination, in apparatus for automatically stopping railway-trains, of a line of rails, spring-supported pedals a at intervals along the rails, brake-operating studs or levers also at intervals along the rails, levers operated by depression of the pedals, cables connecting said levers forward or to the rear to a brake-operating stud, a car, a brake and means for applying it on said car, and a depending operating-arm adapted to coperate with the studs when raised to cause the brakes to be applied.

5. The combination, in apparatus for automatically stopping railway-trains, of a line of rails, spring-supported pedals a at intervals along the rails, brake-operating studs or levers also at intervals along the rails, levers operated by depression of the pedals, cables connecting said levers forward or to the rear to brake-operating studs, a oar, a brake, means for applying it on said car, a depending operating-arm adapted to coperate with the studs when raised to cause the brakes to be applied, and means for maintaining the brake applied after being set, as described.

Signed at Paris, France, this 24th day of October, 1899.

'LOUIS ROUSSEAU.

Vitnessesi J. ALLIsoN BOWEN, ABELEN JULIEN. 

